Latest from GIFC

Monday, 6 February 2017

Islamic Finance Spreads Globally

In today’s connected world of business, Islamic finance is a concept that people working in the banking and finance industries are likely to come across in their careers. Islamic finance, despite its label, is not limited to Muslim countries. It has shown growth globally, including in Europe.

Total Islamic finance assets worldwide are projected to grow to $3.5 trillion by 2021 from $2 trillion currently, according to Thompson Reuters’ Islamic Finance Development “Resilient Growth” report published in 2016.

There are 622 institutions providing Islamic finance courses worldwide, and 201 provide Islamic finance degrees, according to the report.

Europe is increasingly showing interest in Islamic finance education. There are 109 institutions that provide Islamic finance education in Europe, 63% of them in the UK.

Britain issued its first Islamic bond (sukuk) worth £200 million (over $250 million), according to a statement by the treasury published on the government’s website in June 2014.

In UK

Being home to three million Muslims, according to the Office of National Statistics in 2016, the UK is a leading hub for the Islamic finance industry in Europe. It also has a fully Shariah-compliant retail bank: Al-Rayan Bank (formerly Islamic Bank of Britain).

"Britain is today the leading center for Islamic finance in the West, including British higher education institutions leading the non-Muslim world in the teaching of Islamic finance,” said Nyra Mahmood, managing director of the UK-based Simply Sharia Human Capital.

She emphasized the important role of financial technology can play in further introducing Islamic finance and banking.

“The opportunities emanating from the FinTech scene and the ethical financial space gives rise to how the UK’s Islamic finance can look at shaping and taking the lead in fulfilling the wider needs of society through technology and innovation, especially with a younger, more socially active generation wanting to join the industry,” she said.

She added that the younger generation expects more from their money, as they are socially conscious and want to see companies embrace their corporate social responsibility along with being part of a financial services sector.

“These are the issues driving a new generation of Islamic finance practitioners and consumers alike, both Muslim and non-Muslim in Europe and beyond.”

Mahmood said factors that can affect Islamic finance moving forward in the UK, directly and indirectly, include the aftermath of the Brexit vote, the UK’s economic outlook for 2017 onward, and customers’ needs. “With this in mind, the UK’s Islamic finance industry is well positioned.

“As the country looks beyond the EU, there’s an opportunity to align the UK with investors and partners from other Islamic hubs, namely the (Persian) Gulf Arab countries and Malaysia, which is already happening,” she said.

In a survey by Al-Rayan Bank in 2014, 57% of non-Muslim participants said Islamic finance was relevant to all faiths because they believed it was ethical.

In Spain

Spain is one of the countries curious about Islamic finance. One of its top business schools, IE Business School based in Madrid, has a center that teaches and researches Islamic finance.

“There’s a lack of knowledge in Islamic finance. Everybody is looking but no one is pushing yet,” Gonzalo Rodriguez, general coordinator at the Saudi-Spanish Center for Islamic Economics and Finance, said.

“After the financial crisis (in 2008), ethical banking became much more popular, especially among young people. We believe it’s fair, ethical and based on real economy, and we try to spread this approach.”

"We’re trying to spread knowledge of Islamic finance in Spain, and to reach out to all players to explain to them what Islamic finance is, its potential in Spain, and the opportunities we have for Islamic finance in the country,” Rodriguez said.